Dumb-waiter.



J. M. BIRGHLER. DUMB WAITER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 20, 1912.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

JOSEPH M. BIRCHLEB, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL A. MCNEAR, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

DUMB-WAI'IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16,1913.

Application filed. November 20, 1912. Serial No. 732,512.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. BIRGHLER, a citizen of the United States, andaresident .of San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara a waiter of the character specified, for

eliminating the greatest possible amount of friction, reducing wear, and providing for a uniform easy movement in the operation of the same. a

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side View of the improved waiter, Fig. 2 is a similar view at right angles to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the waiter with the shaft in section.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with a shaft consisting of vertical oppositely arranged guides 1, which are supported by beams 2 at the level of the floor 3. The waiter consists of a box or casing 41 provided at each end with pairs of vertically spaced alined blocks 5, each pair of blocks being spaced to form a vertical groove 6, for receiving a rib 7 on the adjacent guide 1. The groove 6 is of greater depth than the rib 7 so that space is left between the inner face of the rib and the bottom of the groove for receiving a cord. A roller 9 isjournaled in a bracket 10 adjacent to each of the blocks 5 on the bottom of the-waiter 4., and the rope or cord 8 passes under the said rollers and thence upwardly through the vertical openings between the guide blocks 5.

The ends of the cord or cable 8 extend upwardly to the tops of the guide bars 1, and thence outwardly over pulleys or rollers 11 journaled in slots 12 in said guides. One'of the said ends passes downwardly along the outer face of the guide, as indicated at 13, to the bottom of the guide and thence inwardly under a pulley 14 journaled in a slot 15 at the lower end of said guide. The said end of the cord passes then transversely of, the shaft, as shown at 16, and up under another pulley 17 journaled in a slot 18 at the lower end of the opposite guide, and thence upwardly, winding upon a roller 22 to be described, the said rope or cable after winding several turns upon the roller passing upwardly over a pulley 19 journaled between the studding 20 that supports the floor. The opposite end of the rope passes downwardly along the outer side of the adjacent guide bar 1 and winds upon a roller 22 having journal pins 23 which are journaled in openings in uprights 21 supported between the lower floor and the next upper floor. The first-named end of the rope'or cable, after it passes over the pulley 19, passes under a pulley 25 journaled in a U-shaped bracket 26 at the upper end of a weight 27, and thence upwardly to a connection with one of the studding 21, as shown at 28. The weight 27 is provided at each end with a plurality of pairs of laterally spaced lugs ,29', which engage oppositesides of a rib 30 on the upright 24 to guide the said weight in its vertical movement. A crank 31 is secured to one of the journal pins 23 of the roller, and a ratchet wheel 32 is secured to said pin adjacent to the crank. A pawl 33 is pivoted to the adjacent upright and cooperates with the ratchet wheel to hold the roller in adjusted position. It will be noted that after the first-named cord is wound upon the roller as indicated at 34;, it then passes over the pulley 19, and that the weight is connected with a bight of the cord or cable between the pulley 19 and the connection 28 of the cord or cable with the studding 21.

When the roller 22 is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, both ends of the cord or cable are wound upon the roller or drum in a direction to raise the. waiter 1, and that portion 35 of the cord or cable above the turns 34 is lengthened, thus permitting the weight 27 to move downwardly. The weight thus assists in lifting the waiter. WVhen the roller 22 is turned in the opposite direction to the arrow, that is in a direction to lower the waiter, the weight 27 is lifted. Thus the weight always moves in the opposite direction to the waiter, counterbalancing the same and permitting the roller 22 to be turned without any great amount of power.

The weight may be of any suitable material, as for instance, cement or concrete, reinforced, the reinforces forming the lugs 29 and the loop 36 to which the pulley 25 is connected. The weight of the weight is such that it will offset the weight of the load in the waiter, and the arrangement is such that the weight travels but half the distance traveled by the waiter. Should, for instance, the crank break or the hand slip from the handle, the weight will prevent the sudden dropping of the loadedwaiter, permitting the waiter to move slowly downward, and to strike the floor without any considerable shock. The blocks are spaced apart laterally to form a passage between them for the rope, the said passage being open so that the waiter may be raised until the pulleys 9 are at the level of the pulleys 11. The blocks 5 hold the rope in place during the upward movement of the waiter.

1. In a device of the character specified, the combination with the dumb-waiter and the spaced guide bars ofrthe shaft, of a vertically spaced pair of guides at each end of the waiter, said guides engaging the guide bars, a pulley journaled on the bottom of the waiter near each side thereof and adja cent to the guide bars, said guide bars being slotted at their tops and at their bottoms,

a pulley journaled in each slot, a pair of uprights adjacent to the shaft, a weight having "a pulley at its top and having means for engaging the uprights to guide the said weight vertically, a pulley near the tops of the uprights, a roller on the uprights, a

cord or cable passing under the pulleys on the bottom of the waiter and upwardly along the inner sides of the adjacent guide bars and over the pulleys at the tops thereof, that end of the cord or cable adjacent to the roller passing down and winding on the roller and being secured thereto, the other end of the cord passing downwardly under the pulley at the lower end of the guide bar transversely of the shaft and under the pulley at the lower end of the opposite guide bar and upwardly and winding on the roller a plurality of turns, and thence passing upwardly over the pulley at the top of the uprights and downwardly beneath the pulley of the weight and thence upwardly and being attached to a fixed support at the top of the uprights, means for turning the roller, and means for preventing reverse movement thereof.

2. In a device of the character specified, the combination with the guide bars of the shaft and the waiter having means for engaging the bars, each bar having transverse openings at each end, and a pulley in each opening, pulleys on the bottom of the waiter near each side thereof, a pair of uprights near the shaft, a weight having a pulley at its top movable on the uprights, a roller journaled on the uprights, a cord or cable passing under the pulleys on the bottom of the waiter and upwardly along the inner sides of the adjacent guide bars and over the pulleys at the tops thereof, that end of the cord or cable adjacent to, the roller passing down winding on the roller and being secured thereto, the other end of the cord passing downwardly under the pulley at the lower end of the guide bar transversely of the shaft andunder the pulley at the lower end of the opposite guide bar and upwardly and winding on the roller a plurality of turns, and thence passing upwardly over the pulley at the top of the uprights and downwardly beneath the pulley of the weight and thence upwardly and be ing attached to a fixed support at the top of the uprights, means for turning the roller, and means for preventing reverse movement thereof.

3. In a device of the character specified, the combination with the guide bars of the shaft and the waiter having means for engaging the bars, each bar having transverse openings at its ends, and a pulley in each opening, pulleys on the bottom of the waiter near each side thereof, a pair of uprights near the shaft, a weight havin a pulley at its top movable on the uprights, a roller journaled on the uprights, a cord or cable passing under the pulleys on the bottom of the waiter, and upwardly over the pulleys at the tops of the guide bars, that end ofv the cord or cable adjacent to the roller passing, downwardly and being secured to the roller to wind thereon when the roller is turned, the other end of the cord passing downwardly under the pulley at the lower end of the guide bar and under the pulley at the lower end of the opposite guide bar and upwardly and Winding on the roller a plurality of turns in the same direction as the first-named end of the cord or cable, said last-named end of the cord or cable passing upwardly from the roller over the pulley at the top of the uprights and beneath the pulley of the weight to a fixed support.

4. In a device of thevcharacter specified, the combination with the shaft and the waiter, of pulleys at the top and the bottom of the shaft and at each side thereof,

a pulley on the bottom of the waiter at each side thereof, a cord or cable engaging the pulleys on the bottom of the waiter, the end portions of the cord passing upwardly over the adjacent pulleys at the top of the shaft, the one end of the cord or cable passing downwardly beneath the pulleys at the bottom of the shaft, a roller supported adjacent to the shaft upon which the end portions of the cord wind. in the same direction, one end portion of the cord passing over the pulleys at the bottom extending beyond the roller, and a weight movable thereon for counterbalancing the waiter.

5. The combination with the dumb-waiter and the shaft, a roller journaled adjacent to the shaft, a weight, a rope or cable having its end portions winding on the roller and its intermediate portion beneath the waiter, pulleys at the top and bottom of the shaft over which the rope or cable passes, one end portion of the rope being free from the roller and passing over a pulley above the roller vto a fixed support, the weight being connected with the said end portion of the rope or cable between the fixed end portion and the pulley.

6. The combination with the dumb-waiter and the shaft, a roller journaled adjacent to the shaft, a weight, a rope or cable having 15 portion of the rope extending beyond the 20 roller, and a counterweight in connection with the said end portion and operating in opposition to the waiter.

JOSEPH M. BIRCHLER.

Witnesses:

W. F. KRoLL, W. T. PORTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

